Are Your Dreams Still Yours?

As someone who describes themself as a “dreamer,” I have been chasing one dream or another (usually quite a few at the same time) for most of my life. 

My longest tenured most heart-felt dream is to be a traditionally published author, and I’m still working on that one, but the journey to reach this destination that has so far eluded me has definitely had its ups and downs. My dream to be a writer, along with quite a few of my other goals–especially over the last year or so–have taught me something:

It’s so important to re-evaluate your dreams and goals every so often, especially if you’re in a season of feeling restless, or even lost. 

Sometimes when we have a long tenured dream or goal, it can become more of an obligation to see through than an active desire that we are still passionate about. It can also become a part of our identity. Some examples of this for myself would be things like: 

She’s a writer who wants to publish a book! 

She’s always writing one script or another with her writing partner. 

But I’ve gone through those moments of really needing to sit down and get real with myself to reaffirm whether or not these were dreams that still called to me, endeavors that I wanted to pour all of my heart and soul into.

Spoiler alert: they are 🙂

Checking in with yourself and your dreams and goals is so important. It can also be super helpful because it can give you clarity when you’re feeling stuck or even help you course correct if you are lacking direction and feel like you’re just floundering through life. 

These are some questions that I find helpful when I’m re-visiting my dreams and goals to see if they still actually align with what I want:

• Does this dream/goal still light me up? Do I feel passionate about pursuing it, or just feel like I “need to” or “should?” 

• If I got to the end of my life and I was on my deathbed, would I regret not following through on this endeavor? 

If you discover that your dreams and goals no longer feel like they are yours, it’s okay to let them go. Read that again and really allow yourself to know this in your heart:

It’s okay to let go of old dreams/goals that are no longer meant for you.

You should focus on pouring your time, love, and energy into the things that excite you. Things that fill you up even if you’re still on the journey to achieving them and the destination isn’t quite within your reach. Things that bring you true happiness and fulfillment, whether you succeed or not.

Sometimes the experience of pursuing something–and failing–was actually the whole point all along.

If you’re looking to chase a new dream or goal, but you’re not sure what it is yet, lean into your curiosity. Explore new things. Your curiosity is the compass to something that could potentially light up your soul. Even if you feel a calling to something you may be “bad” at, follow the call and allow yourself to play in the space of something new and exciting, just because.

Whatever your dreams or desires may be, I hope that you accomplish them, I hope that you enjoy the journey of chasing them, and I’m so proud of you for trying in the first place. You’re amazing 💖